Tobacco looper



L. H. MILLIS TOBACCO LOOPER Filed June 29, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 2, 1924; 1,518,095

L. H. MILLIS TOBACCO LOOPER (1H0: nu

Dec. 1924- 1,518,095

L. H. MILLIS TOBACCO LOOPER Filed June 29, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Dec. 2, 1924. 1,518,095

L. H. MILLIS TOBACCO LOOPER Filed June 29, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 lZZ/ZZZS,

6cm new PA ENT 7-?o FFicaI, I

LEMUEL H. MILLIS, IOEDUCK CREEK, NOR'l'fi CAROLINA.

TOBACCO LOOPEB.

Application filed June 29, 1922. Serial No. 571,734.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LnM'UicL H. MILLIs, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Duck Creek, in the county .of Onslow and State of North Carolina,'has invented new and useful Improvements in Tobacco Loopers, of which the following 1s a s ecification.

he object of the invention is to provide an efiicient mechanism for looping or tying tobacco hands or bundles to the drying sticks for dispensation in the drying house under conditions providing for uniformity and rapidity of operation and to avoid the inconvenience of the more tedious manual arrangement thereof which is now commonly followed; and with this object 1n view the invention consists in at construction and combination of parts of which a preferred embodiment is shown in the accompanymg drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side V18W of a looprnlg mechanism constructed in accordance w1t the invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view.

Figure 3 is a rear elevational view.

Fi re 4 is a detail elevational view showing t e elements of the looping me anlsm.

Figure 5 is a detail elevatlonal view 1llustrating a portion of the intermediate stationary rest and the final pos1t-1on of the bundles on the tobacco stick, the initial positions being indicated in dotted lines.

Figure 6 is a detail elevational view of one of the mutilated gears.

The mechanism embodies essentially a drive or operating shaft 10 mounted in a suitable frame 11 and adapted in the construction illustrated for actuation manually as by a crank 12, a reversely rotatable looper shaft 13 adapted for actuation by opposed mutilated gears 14 and provided with means for carrying the t mg cord or twine whereby the stems of t e successlve hands or tobacco bundles are bound and are secured successively to the tobacco stick 15, a feeding hopper 16' in which the hands of tobacco are successively placed with the leaf stems in a rest 16 supported at the upper end of the looper shaft, and a cradle 17 b which the said tobacco stick is supporte and is moved in a step by step manner to present fresh portions thereof to the loo ing and feeder devices as the hands or bun es are successively applied thereto.

In the illustrated embodiment of the 1nvention there is employed a slightly inclined, approxlmatelg upright rack 18 to sup ort the hopper w ich consists of an intermediate stationary rest 19 having a dividing pin 20, on elther side of which the hands of tobacco are alternately placed, and right and left side flaps or wings 21 which are fulcrumed upon a transverse bar 22 and are actu'able by a crank shaft 23 having oppositely disposed cranks 24 en a ing guides 25 on the rear sides of said aps or wings whereby the latter may be alternately swung forward in the act of reversing the hands or bundles resting thereon. In their normal positions the flaps or wings bear against a sto bar .26 and the crank shaft is actuated y a pitman 27 extending from a terminal crank 28 of said shaft to a disk 29 on the main or drive shaft. The hopper is also provided with side walls 30 which are stationary and are disposed in substantial parallelism with the outer obliquely disposed edges of the flaps or wings.

The stem rest is preferably of cup shape to receive and effectively hold the hands of the stems of the leaves forming the successive hands or bundles and carried thereby is a looper arm 31 having a guide'eye 32 for the looping cord 33 which extends from a spool or ball 34 adapted to be placed on the loopershaft so as to feed the cord as it is used in tying the bundles and attaching them successively to the stick, said rest be ng provided with a stem 35 removably fitted in a socket in the upper end of the loopershaft so as to permit of removal to allow of the threading of a spool or ball of cord on the looper shaft. 1

' At an intermediate point the looper shaft is provided with a pinion 36 for alternate engagement by the segmental series of teeth carried by the driving gears, the said pinion and series of gear teeth being so arranged that during a continuous rotary motion of the main or drive shaft in one direction the loopershaft is alternately turned in opposite directions, each rotary movement being through a distance of about one and one-half turns with an interval of rest between each two operations thereof, so that after having placed a hand or bundle of tobacco in the hopper with the stems in the rest, the first operation of the machine results in the turning of the looper arm through a distance of approximately one and one-half turns to carry the looping cord around the stems and secure them in a tight bundle. At the conclusion of this tying step in the operation the flap or wing upon which the bundle has been placed (it-hem understood that the bundles are placed a ternately on the right and left flaps or wings), the hand carrying flap or wing is swung forward by its actuating crank to reverse the bundle and permit it to drop into a suspended position with relation to the stick, the flaps or wings bein so positioned as to dispose the bundles a ternately on opposite sides of the stick. The tying cord after passing from the spool throng the guide eye in the looper arm is extended and attached to one end of the stick as an anchorage, so that in the discharge of the bundle from the hopper and the reversal thereof to dispose the leaves in a pendant position, the looping cord is enga ed with the stick and serves to support the ands or bundles therefrom.

The cradle by which the tobacco stick is supported is provided with fingers 37 for engagement with the stick near its ends, and consists of a rack bar 38 having terminal upri%hts- 39 carrying said fingers and connected y a guide rod 40 extending through a guide loo d]. on one of the side members of the upright rack frame. Said rack bar is mounted upon a tiltable ide 42 ivoted as at 43 to t e supporting rame an having an upright ddwhich is adjustable by means of a series of o enings 45 engaged by a screw 46 to vary t e inclination of the guide and hence of the stem.

The size by step progressive movement of the era 1c is caused by tappet pins 49 on the drive or main shaft arranged for engagement with the teeth of the rack bar, and the variation of the inclination of the guide for the cradle determines the extent of movement at each step of the stick and hence enables the mechanism to be adjusted to suit hands or bundles of either large or small size without unnecessarily crowding the stick or wasting space thereon.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new and useful is 1. A tobacco looper having a feed hopper for the successive reception of tobacco hands or bundles, a revoluble looper shaft carryiing a stem rest for receiving the stems of hands or bundles arranged in the hopper, a looper arm carried by said shaft for gulding and carrying a looping cord around the 2. A tobacco looper having a feed hopper for the successive rece tion of tobacco hands or handles, a revolub e looper shaft carrying a stem rest for receiving the stems of hands or -bundles arranged in the hopper, a looper arm carried by said shaft for 1ding and carryin a looping cord aroun the rest to engage t e stems arranged therein, means for rotating the looper shaft at intervals and alternately in o posite directions, a stick supporting crad e for holding a stick in a position adjacent to the plane of the stem rest, and means for counicating a step b step forward movement-to the cradle to a vance the stick as the bundles are successively a plied thereto, the hoper having right an left forwardly tiltale flaps or wings for discharging and reversing the hands or bundles, and means for alternately actuating said flaps or wings at intervals following the t ing of the stems of hands or bundles carrie thereby,

3. A tobacco looper having a feed hopper Ell for the successive rece tion of tobacco hands or bundles, a revolub e looper shaft carrying a stem rest for receiving the stems of hands or bundles arranged in the hopper, a looper arm carried by said shaft for aiding and carryin a looping cord aroun the rest to engage t e stems arranged therein, means for rotating the looper shaft at intervals and alternately in opposite directions, a stick supporting cradle for holding a stick in a position adjacent to the plane of the stem rest, and means for counicating a step by step forward movement to the cradle to advance the stick as the bundles are successively apliedthereto, the hopper having right an ii left forwardly tiltable fla s or wings for dischar ing and reversing the hands or bundles, an means for alternately actuating said flaps or wings at intervals following the tyin of the stems of hands or bundles carried tereby, and said hopper also havin an intermediate stationary member provi ed with a central dividing element.

for the successive rece tion of tobacco hands or bundles, a revoluble looper shaft carrying a stem rest for receiving the stems of hands or bundles arranged in the hopper, a looper arm carried by said shaftfor 1' iding and carrying a looping cord arounthe rest to engage the stems arranged therein, means for rotating the looper shaft at intervals and alternately in opposite directions, a stick supportin cradle for'holding a stick in a position a jacent to the plane of the stem rest, and means for communicating a step by step forward movement to the cradle to advance the stick as the bundles are successively applied thereto, the operating means including a drive shaft carrying oppositely positioned mutilated gears, and

4:- A tobacco looper having a feed hopper iii) the looper shaft being positioned between said gears and having a pinion for alternate engagement by the teeth thereof.

5. A tobacco looper having a feed hopper for the successive reception of tobacco hands or bundles, a revoluble looper shaft carrying a stem rest for receiving the stems of hands or bundles arranged in the hopper, a looper arm carried by said shaft for guiding and carrying a looping cord around the rest to engage the stems arranged therein, means for rotating the looper shaft at intervals and alternately in opposite directions, a stick supportin cradle for holding a stick in a position ad acent to the plane of the stem rest, and means for communicating a step by step forward movement to the cradle to advance the stick as the bundles are successively applied thereto, said cradle having a rack bar and provided with fingers for engaging the terminals of the stick, and the operating means including a drive shaft provided with pins for successively engaging the teeth of the rack bar.

6. A tobacco looper having a feed hopper for the successive reception of tobacco hands or bundles, a revoluble loopershaft carrying a stem rest for receiving the stems of hands or bundles arranged in the hopper, a looper arm carried by said shaft for ing and carrying a looping cord around the rest to engage the stems arranged therein, means for rotating the looper shaft at intervals and alternately in opposite directions, a stick supporting cradle for holding a stick in a position adjacent to the plane of the stem rest, and means for communicating a step by step forward movement to the cradle to advance the stick as the bundles are successively applied thereto, the cradle having a rack bar, a tiltable guide for the rack bar, and means for securing the guide in its adjusted positions, and the operating means having a drive or main shaft provided with pins for successively engaging the teeth of the rack bar.

In testimony whereof he aflixes his signature.

LEMUEL H. MILLIS.

'uid- 

